Bronze statue of Swami Ramananda Tirtha in India, in Hyderabad

From the archive record

Swami Ramanand Tirtha or Swami Ramanand Teerth, (1903--1972), was an Indian Freedom fighter, educator and social activist who led the Hyderabad liberation struggle, during the reign of the last Nizam. He was the main leader of the Hyderabad State Congress. Swami Ramanand Tirtha fought the Nizam after the Congress party established its wing in 1938. He participated in Satyagrahas and was imprisoned for 111 days by the last Nizam. He created a revolutionary movement which helped Hyderabad to integrate with the Indian union in 1948. The integration was successful after The Hyderabad Police Action. Swamiji had communist leanings initially, but later on became a Hindu sannyasi (monk). His original name was Vyenkatesh Bhagvanrao Khedgikar. He was given the name "Swami Ramanand Tirtha" after tak